About this blog

Traveling is my passion. It's all about been there, embraced it and loved it. I always believe that having been to a destination and taken postcard shots of the famous landmark is never complete without a taste of the real culture and lifestyle of the locals.

Stumbled upon this flame grill chicken in Nairobi. I don't see anything different Nando's as it has exactly the same favouring (Lemon & herb, mild peri peri and so on) as Nandos and even their story on how they different the "peri-peri" is the same except that I must admit that Galito's does sound a little blurry... i guess they must be the copycat, after all theirs doesn't taste as nice as Nando's.

Less than 2 weeks in Nairobi, I have learn where to get my groceries:Nakumatt or Uchumi.Nakumatt, of course, offers a better range of products compares to Uchumi but price wise, I have no comment as I am still trying to grasp with the huge currency denomination here.

To get fresh fruits and vegetables, I would say get it from Zuchini (there is one next to Nakumatt Junction). This is where you can get fresh vegetables that is not rotten.

So what exactly is the cost of living here ? (I would say it's more expensive that Malaysia for sure!)

A dozen of eggs ~ USD 2

A Loaf of bread (Normal Length) ~ USD 0.80

1 Litre Fresh Milk ~ USD 1

500 gm Butter ~ USD 5.5

600 g Pork Loin ~ USD 5.6

300 g mince beef ~ USD 1.6

South Africa Oranges ~ USD 2.3 per KG

Potatoes ~ USD 0.50 per KG

Carrots ~ USD 0.40 per KG

Unleaded Petrol ~ USD 1.3 per litre

There are alot of fresh fruits and vegetables here, one will just need to take sometime to get to know what taste good and what does not.

Word of advise, once you found your choice of Milk, STICK to it! Speaking from experience...Brookside dairy product is by far the best. Funny though, Brookside is the area where I live but I have not seen a cow anywhere! Then again... I have only been here slightly more than 1 week.

One look at Bahrain, you would have thought that there is nothing much in this barren land. I thought shopping was the only thing in Bahrain that draws the crowd, apart from the liberty of drinking and all other leisure which the Saudis are deprived of in their own country, I was wrong.Here are my selected sights of interest or activities in Bahrain (which I hope to ticked it all off):National MuseumProud to say I have made my way to the National Museum of Bahrain and I am glad that it was really interesting. Within these walls, one will get to know about the history of Bahrain (although this country may seem so small to have any history to begin with, again I was wrong) and indulge in the rich culture of Bahrain. Three things I learnt about Bahrain:Bahrain is formerly known as Tylos (Greek influence) and later , Dilmun.Bahrain is like a gold mine for archeologist where thousands of organized tombs were found in this city itself.Their traditional customs were extremely colourful: I know I made an entry about this but it still surprises me as 99% women in Bahrain dresses in their Black Daffa.

Al Fateh Grand MosqueInteresting fact as mentioned by the guide about this most is that the carpets is from Scotland, the glass lamps are from France and the marbles, of course, from Italy. Generally, apart from the people that attend the prayers, there is nothing of this mosque is from Bahrain. The interior is nice but it does not have the “wow” factor. However, I must admit that it is actually quite beautiful.

Visit La Fountaine Comtemporary Art CenterOne advise when you are here, enjoy a meal at the restaurant. Excellent food with a good ambience. This piece of historical building was converted into a Comtemporary Art Center and is used to host many events. I would say, a perfect place to hold a private function.

Al Jasra House

This is where you can get a glimpse of the traditional Bahrain Architecture. I must say it's quite worth the visit as it is situated nto far from town, just about 25 KM away.

Tree of Life (yet to visit)A lone mesquite tree that stands in the desert where its source of water is still a mystery. Traveling all the way just to see this tree is probably a waste of time but I supposed there is a difference of being there and seeing it on the picture.

Barbar Temple (yet to visit)An excavation of an ancient temple. Not too sure if one could just walk in to take a look but I will attempt to do so in my next trip.

Bait al Qur’an (yet to visit)Carries the most distinctive architecture in Bahrain

Visit the Central Market (yet to visit)

As usual, to me, one can really see the life of the locals in the market place and thus this would be my choice in my next visit to Bahrain

Explore around the small valleys of Bab al Bahrain and Gold Souq

Stay off this place on Friday as most likely you will find yourself walking in the streets with most of the shops closed. You will find alot of electronics, souvenirs, cloths and many other goods. This is an excellent place to spot the trditional Bahrainian shops (as seen in the National Museum).

Taking scenic shotAlthough Bahrain seems barren, there are actually a lot of scenic sights which I did not managed to capture as I was in the car. I would really love to go around Bahrain on a clear day to capture these beautiful scenes. The waterfront behind the National Museum is one of the best locations.

Everyone thought I was heading to South Africa when I told them that I am going to work in Africa. Truth is, after working for six months with the account team, this is my first time in Johannesburg, South Africa.First impression: BEAUTIFUL. It is no wonder this place is known as the “Europe” of Africa. A friend of mine took me out for lunch and I can see nothing lacking in this place. You can practically get ANYTHING here and I can foresee myself hopping over from Kenya from time to time in order to satisfied my addiction to shop or perhaps a more political correct way to put it: to purchase my necessities.

The houses along the way to the office simply sweeps my feet off. Beautiful bungalows with courtyards and gardens, modern architecture and design, I find it hard to comprehend that this place is well known for its high crime rate. Of course, I don’t deny that the 99.9% of the houses are secured with electric fence (the other 0.01% are guarded with the old fashioned barb wire or broken glass) does indicate the level of social security but still I find it hard to comprehend the true fact about this place.

In September, although my friend was apologetic about the dusty wind, I find the weather simply lovely, ranging from 8 – 18 degree celcius, and chilly. She later told me that is strange as this time of the year it is supposed to get warmer, I suppose Global warming knows no boundary.

During my short visit here are my discoveries:- Bobotie: A typical Afrikaans dish (similar to the Italian lasagna where there are layers and layers of meat cooked with tomato sauce) served with tumeric rice and steam vegetables.- Shops at the shopping mall closes around 1800 so if you intend to shop, perhaps you should extend your stay- The BUTCHER SHOPAND GRILL: Famous deli where you get to select your piece of meat (hang out like those in the butcher shop) and have it grill to you liking. What intrigue me most was that they actually produce the butter and cream to compliment their home made heavenly soft bread (so they claim). I simply felt in love with this place.

- Biltong: South Africans favourite snack which is equivalent to beef jerky. It’s dried meat which taste like ham ( to me). When my colleague first offered it to me, I thought I heard them say Bull’s tongue.- There are 11 Official languages in South Africa!!!

I’ve heard a lot of Jo’Burg being a modern city although I find myself in doubt but now, I am fully convinced as I have seen it with my own eyes that this place is comparable to a first world country. Indeed the Gold and diamond rush has brought this country up to this impressive state.

This is exactly what I saw in the reflection of the mirror when I stepped out of the toilet cubicle heading towards the wash basin to wash my hands. I happened to wear a striking orange shirt that day.

Seeing the ladies in Bahrain who hides their latest fashion beneath their daffa (long flowy black gown) is nothing new to me. However, I can’t help but to notice how different I was in the ladies washrooms. I don’t understand why would one even bother to dress up if daffa is all could be shown to the public. I must admit that despite the fact that all daffa is black, I find them extremely attractive as most of them are not just plain black but adorned with embroidered patterns, laces, glitter stones and other decorative items. These daffa are really beautiful as it falls on your body and hides all unnecessary fats.

After having tried one myself, I must admit it that it made me feels very elegant and extremely feminine gliding around in these long flowy daffa but I would give the head scarf a miss as I find it rather warm.

In history, the traditional Bahrainian customes are really colourful. Although the style is pretty much similar as today wear the women are pretty covered up but it's extremely colourful like the indian Saris in the Bollywood movies!

Never in my life I imagine myself working in Africa and here am I, setting foot in Nairobi for the second time and this time, it would be for a year. It still feels like I am getting a role in National Geographic or Discovery channel. (I still did not get to see the Giraffe when I landed at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport :( )

I was beyond exhausted when I arrived and the only thing I really wanted was to sleep. However, after the ordeal with the travel agent where I almost did not make it to Nairobi on the scheduled date, I wasn’t sure if I will even get a place to lay my head so with all my might I tried to be alert. Thank God, it was all settled and they even got the driver ready for me. It was his first day of work and so was mine.

He is a gentle soul who is terrified of disappointing me so I tried not to be bothered with his unfamiliarity of the area and his driving skills. I am glad that my motion sickness did not manifest and am counting the days when I will get my automatic car where he should be able to drive smoothly.

Tired as I am, I was actually overwhelmed. A dedicated driver to chauffer me around and the temporary apartment itself has caught me by surprised. The 3 bedroom apartment was so huge that I could not imagine what I am going to do with the space I have. Each door leads to another room that leads to another room making me less significant in the apartment as the actual size is revealed bit by bit. There are so many doors that I didn’t know I had a guest bathroom until the cleaning lady kept it open.

As this is a service apartment, I can kiss house chores goodbye (YAhooOoooOo) except to clean myself, tuck myself in bed and cook (I don’t even need to wash). The only thing which I am trying (still trying as I knew it was being ignored) to get the cleaning lady to remove her shoes while cleaning the apartment.

Overwhelmed as I was, I could never forget my first breakfast at the apartment: Frozen Milk, toast, cheese and eggs.

There you go, my first day (September 15, 2008) at my new home for the next one year in Nairobi, Kenya.